> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://mrussell.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Go ahead Nicky, it's gonna be alright - URL: https://mrussell.co.uk/go-ahead-nicky-its-gonna-be-alright/ - Published: 2026-10-08T21:10:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T10:46:20.000Z - Author: Mark Russell I've been trying to reform myself. I'm not sure how well that's going, but I have taken on a new morning habit. It's called *Wiki Roulette.* What you do is load a random Wikipedia page, spend one minute reading it and then two minutes presenting back what you've understood as if you're on stage at TED. I've found that it's extraordinarily difficult. The idea is to sharpen my mind, though I've found it's a bit like dropping a kitchen knife on the floor while you're cooking. You hop in a star jump and twist yourself, hoping not to spill anything while the knife clatters between your feet. But when you pick up the blade, you realise, rather than slicing a tendon, it's so blunt it could only have dealt out a black toe. I've had a few amazing topics. I think I am discovering how skewed Wikipedia is to the American story. My first was a baptism of historical fire. It was about [the Battle of Punished Woman's Fork](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle%5Fof%5FPunished%5FWoman%27s%5FFork?ref=mrussell.co.uk). This was (recalls from perfect memory) the final battle that the Native American Cheyenne tribe fought against the United States Army in Kansas. They were fleeing their reservation in Oklahoma and were heading towards their homeland in the north. To be honest, I had to look a bit of that up, Just in case I rewrote some history. It seems Native American history is central to Wikipedia because a couple of days later I got [Dryhead Country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryhead%5FCountry?ref=mrussell.co.uk). I do remember very clearly that Dryhead Country is an area named for all the dusty bison skulls that accumulated at the bottom of a cliff. I did just look it up. The cliff is called *Buffalo Jump;* of course it is. Another was biographical, of pioneering British neurologist, [Jacob Lockhart Clarke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%5FLockhart%5FClarke?ref=mrussell.co.uk). I felt sorry for him because I immediately forgot his name and dictated the following: > John Something Lockhart was a pioneering British surgeon and neuroscientist who studied and trained at St. Thomas's Hospital in London and later practised in Pimlico. He was responsible for pioneering the idea of close microscopic inspection of the brain and nervous system, which resulted in publications outlining some of the first detailed studies about brain structure and the spinal cord ... Reading back now, I don't think he was a surgeon, just obsessively into nerves. But he did start it all. What I've realised with Wiki Roulette is that it's very difficult to comprehend a topic in a minute. And for me at least, it's next to impossible to remember names unless they're London places. People's names? Whoosh! Gone immediately. But over time the idea is that I'll get extremely good at assimilating information and being able to relay it back coherently. So I'm going to keep spinning the wheel. And the bright side of it, other than being a mental workout that only takes three minutes, is that I can now thrill my family with even *more* amazing facts. ### **Here's how to do it** 1. **Visit Wikipedia.** Under the main menu you'll find a link called [*Random article*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random?ref=mrussell.co.uk). If you click on that it'll give you, well I'm certain you can guess this bit. You want one that is a single contained idea and probably of reasonable substance. You don't want a massive topic, just a little event or something that's well written up. I've needed to hit Random a couple of times to get one that looks promising. 2. Start a timer for **one minute** and get reading. **Top Tip:** Though the intro is a great start, don't waste all your time on the stuff towards the top of the page. You probably want to jump down to the fist-fights and accolades. Otherwise, you'll end up giving your talk about somebody's early childhood. 3. **No cheating!** No looking back at the article. Stop when the minute is up. 4. Immediately start a timer for **two minutes**. 5. **Give your talk**. I've been using speech to text software. I can't live without it. If you don't already use it, I recommend [this open source app called Handy.](https://handy.computer/?ref=mrussell.co.uk) 6. **Note down when you run out of stuff to say** if you've made it to a minute, I'd say that's good going as a beginner, though I suppose it depends how much you waffle. 7. If you really want to, you can compare your notes with the real story and marvel at your memory. Give it a go. I'll be the dull knife on the chopping board for a while yet though, I expect.